Book Beginnings on Friday (a day late) March 19

How to participate: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you feel so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence. This weekly meme is hosted by  A Few More Pages every Friday.  Check out their blog for a list of other book beginnings.




You Know When the Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon


"In Fort Hood housing, like all army housing, you get used to hearing through the walls.  You learn your neighbor's routines: when and if they gargle and brush their teeth; how often they go to the bathroom or shower; whether they snore or cry themselves to sleep.  You learn too much.  And you learn to move quietly through your own domain.


     You also know when the men are gone. No more boots stomping above, no more football games urned up to high, and, best of all no more front doors slamming before dawn as they trudge out for their early formation, sneakers on metal stairs, cars starting, shouts to the windows above to throw down their gloves on cold desert mornings. Babies still cry, telephones ring. Saturday morning cartoons screech, but with the men, there is a sense of muted silences, a sense of muted life."

The title of this book is what caught my attention.  The first few pages are what made me sure I wanted to read it.  As an Army Wife, one previously stationed at Ft. Hood, I'm interested to see where Fallon will take this story.